Jesse Edwards, the Mountaineers’ 6-foot-11 center has made his way back in the rotation, just in time to face Cincinnati’s pair of well-rounded players in the low post.
Junior Viktor Lakhin and senior Aziz Bandaogo, standing at 6-foot-11 and 7-feet respectively, split minutes at center for the Bearcats. When paired with tall guards, like 6-foot-8 Simas Lukosius and 6-foot-6 Dan Skillings Jr., that size distinctly sets the Bearcats’ identity.
The two big men have proven abilities in keeping others out of the paint, as they combine for 5.1 offensive rebounds per game and set a culture that WVU coach Josh Eilert is aware of.
“They’re a very good offensive rebounding team. We understand that’s been our struggle to this point, so hopefully inserting Jesse (Edwards) into the lineup and getting him more comfortable should help us shore some of those defensive rebounding issues that we’ve had,” Eilert said.
Entering 14-6, the Bearcats have every reason to believe that reputation will be enough against the Mountaineers, who place last in the Big 12 standings. This confidence goes so far that Cincinnati may rest Lakhin for a second game due to illness.
If Lakhin plays, though, WVU will need to be ready. The junior leads the Bearcats in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game on 53% field goal shooting in 26.6 minutes per game.
Lakhin’s best performances of the season came against No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 25 Texas, as he went for five points, seven rebounds, and five blocks against the Sooners in 31 minutes and shot 7-for-12 against the Longhorns scoring 17 points, with four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals in 27 minutes.
What both opponents shared in these games were, first, a lack of a true center to match up with Lakhin, and second, a higher score at the end of the game. Lakhin made his presence known, but his impact did nothing to the teams’ guard success.
In Lakhin’s two conference wins, he was sent into a big man duel that he simply won, shooting 6-for-11 for 17 points and seven rebounds against BYU’s Aly Khalifa and Atiki Ally Atiki and going 5-for-6 against TCU’s Ernest Udeh Jr., who also scored 11 points with nine rebounds and five steals.
Neither win can be pointed to Lakhin as the sole factor, though. His best overall performances came when other, higher-scoring weapons were at Oklahoma and Texas’ disposal, and his wins came when he shot efficiently while his teammates filled the stat sheet.
The Mountaineers have scoring threats outside of the post, namely athletic 6-foot-5 guard RaeQuan Battle and Kerr Kriisa from the perimeter. That combined with Edwards sharing Lakhin’s height and weight exactly should keep the big man’s impact at a minimum.
That does not mean WVU can simply ignore Lakhin’s physicality, though, as coach Josh Eilert emphasized Wednesday.
“We’re going to have to match that physicality. We can’t back down by any means,” Eilert said.
Again, WVU will be dealing with size all night, not just with Lakhin. Bandaogo has played in 12 games this season, averaging 7.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks on an efficient 65.3% from the field.
He has yet to make any out-of-the-ordinary statistical impact, but his size and efficiency make him a threat regardless. With Bandaogo available and primarily splitting minutes with Lakhin, WVU will have to give Cincinnati the size advantage as they rely on 6’10”, 225-pound Akok Akok to split the load with Edwards.
The biggest goal for the Mountaineers will be preventing that size from making the difference. Eilert described Cincinnati as very balanced across the board while emphasizing the Bearcats’ rebounding advantage, meaning WVU cannot leave any stone unturned when it comes to the two centers.
“They’ve got a lot of size down low between [Lakhin] and Bandaogo… they’re taking their physicality to a higher level than a lot of teams, by all means, and they really rebound the ball like their life depends on it,” Eilert said.
Tip-off between West Virginia and Cincinnati is set for 7:00 p.m. EST, inside the WVU Coliseum where the Mountaineers are sure to be tested physically. The game will be streamed to ESPN+.
